The general principle of introducing soaps and detergents in controlled amounts into wash water is known. Typically, known techniques for introducing controlled amounts of soap into wash water require the use of judgment on the part of the person filling the sink, a generally unsatisfactory standard since this can lead to insufficient amounts of soap being added to the water to perform the task successfully or, alternatively, to an oversupply of the wash water with soap, thereby leading to waste. Common devices such as pump-type applicators, squeeze bottles, and measuring cups, in addition to being quite messy, also rely on the judgment of the user for dosage control and are likewise unsatisfactory.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,872 to Corneae, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,726 to Vesborg disclose devices for dispensing detergent compounds into the wash water of a clothes washing machine. Such devices rely on total and continued immersion in the washing machine during agitation for the release of clothes washing detergent, typically in liquid form. Such devices possess the disadvantage of requiring opening and refilling with soap after each use, and are not suitable for institutional dishwashing since in dishwashing sinks the level of agitation is minimal as compared to a clothes washing machine.
Also known is a detergent container as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,952 to Kryk. The Kryk apparatus comprises an inverted container which may be filled with detergent pellets, briquettes or the like. The container is placed outside of the sink to be filled with soap. When it is desired to fill a sink or other basin with soap, a water spray is introduced through a mesh grid in the bottom of the container, which spray dissolves the soap pellets in the container, causing soapy liquid to fall from the container into the sink being filled. This device requires a special external sink mounting and water feed, all of which greatly complicates its use, and also requires some degree of user judgment in determining the duration of water spray which is allowed to impinge upon the soap pellets while filling the sink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,014 to Feig, discloses a controlled release dispenser which is placed on the bottom of a sink. Water is permitted to flow from a faucet spout into the dispenser, and soapy water flows out of it at a controlled rate. However, the dispenser must be placed on the bottom of the sink, which is problematic if there are dishes already in the sink.
Other devices include dispensers which are mounted external from, and proximate to, a sink. These dispensers need to be installed and connected to a water line. Therefore, there is a significant cost for installing and maintaining such dispensers.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a simple-to-use device and method for filling a sink with a required amount of soap.